Cost & Aid

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SUNY Plattsburgh transitioned all spring 2020 classes to distance learning and required most students to vacate the residence halls after spring break. The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorizes colleges to award emergency financial aid grants to students for their expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child-care expenses.

SUNY Plattsburgh was awarded $2.6 million in CARES funds by the federal government for the sole and exclusive purpose of providing emergency financial aid grants to students. This policy establishes a campus plan to award these grants, and was developed by a workgroup of representatives from the Financial Aid Office, Office of Student Accounts, and several offices from within the Division of Enrollment and Student Success.

SUNY Plattsburgh plans to award CARES Emergency Grants according to two methods that are consistent with federal regulations and SUNY Guidance as of April 29, 2020.

The first method awards a CARES base grant to all eligible students, with a higher award amount for those who are high-need in contrast to those who are not. High-need eligible students are awarded a $1,200 in a base grant and all other eligible students are awarded $250. A high-need student is an undergraduate or graduate student with an EFC below the Pell threshold in either 2019–20 or 2020–21.

In order to receive a base grant, eligible students must submit an online or paper form that collects the minimum certification requirements that are established in the CARES Act. On this form, students certify that they have already incurred or will incur allowable expenses of food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, childcare, and/or transportation as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus which equal or exceed the amount of their CARES base grant. The definition of allowable expenses is included on the form. On this form, students have the opportunity to replace the original base grant amount ($1,200 or $250) with a lower amount because they have or will have allowable expenses less than the original base grant amount. On this form, students also have the opportunity to decline their base grant because they did not or will not incur any allowable expenses.

The second method provides eligible students with the opportunity to request a CARES enhanced grant for allowable expenses that they have already incurred or will incur that are in excess of the base grant amount. The maximum amount of the aggregate sum of the base and enhanced grant for any student is $6,195, which is equivalent to the maximum Pell grant for 2019–20 and suggested by ED.

Eligible students request an enhanced grant by completing an online or paper supplemental form in addition to the base grant form. This form includes a similar certification as the base grant, but also requests more information and detail from the student. On the supplemental form for an enhanced grant, students list each allowable expense incurred or will incur. For each allowable expense, the student writes brief description, describes how it is related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, and also specifies the amount of each allowable expense. Students are informed on the form that the college reserves the right to request additional documentation and receipts. Requests for enhanced grants are evaluated by the financial aid office, and may be approved or denied based upon whether the request is permissible under the CARES Act.

The table below displays the projected unduplicated headcount of recipients by type of CARES emergency grant:

CARES Emergency Grant

Award	Amount	Federal Allocation	% Allocation
Base Grant for Not High Need	$250	$362,250	14%
Base Grant for High Need	$1,200	$1,868,400	71%
Enhanced Grant	Up to $6,195 total	$398,435	15%
Total		$2,629,085	100%

Appendix 9.1 contains the enrollment data that was used to establish the award amounts for the three types of CARES grants, and the distribution of the federal allocation between the three grant types (see Tables 1 & 2). This methodology is consistent with the federal formula that was used to calculate the total campus allocation of $2.6 million, which heavily weighted Pell eligible students in the formula (~75%). Note that the projected recipients and award amounts are based on current guidance regarding student eligibility, and also assume an 85% response rate of certifications from all eligible students.

The college plans to notify all eligible students of their base grants by no later than the end of May, as soon as the college receives access to federal funds and completes the technical set-up process within Banner. This notification will include student instructions on how to complete the online or paper form for certification, and well as instructions to request an enhanced grant. The college plans to start to post base grants to student accounts as soon as it starts to receive student responses to the certification. The college plans to start to evaluate requests for enhanced grants after the onset of base grants, and start to post enhanced grants to an account after approval by financial aid.

CARES emergency grants are not considered estimated financial assistance (EFA) and excluded from student financial aid packages. The entire grant amount is refunded to a student irrespective of any outstanding account balance with the college. Refunds are delivered via the normal college refund process for students, BankMobile. Students have three options with BankMobile: direct deposit into any checking account of their choice (92% of refunds at Plattsburgh), direct deposit into a BankMobile account (6% of refunds at Plattsburgh), or paper check (2% of refunds at Plattsburgh).

Base grants are refunded to students in sequential order based upon the receipt date of the certification. Enhanced grants are refunded to students in sequential order based upon the receipt date of the request. Base and enhanced grants continue to be refunded to students until the total amount of awards on campus reaches the federal allocation of $2,629,085. If the response rate is lower than anticipated and federal allocations remain in the fall, the original budgets for base and enhanced grants will be revisited and the original award amounts may be increased in order to ensure the total federal allocation is expended by April 21, 2021.

The Financial Services Forms web page contains paper forms for certification of the base grant and enhanced grant. Online forms are available on the college secure website (MyPlattsburgh) and include similar instructions, collect the same information, and include the same certification.

Definitions

An eligible student satisfies all of the following criteria:

• Enrolled during the Spring 2020 semester on or after March 13, 2020. Students who withdrew from the college prior to March 13 are not eligible for a CARES grant since they had withdrawn prior to date of the President’s Proclamation, “Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak,” Federal Register 85, No. 53 at 15337–38.
• Matriculated in an eligible undergraduate or graduate academic program as of March 13, 2020. Eligible academic programs include all academic programs eligible for federal Title IV financial aid except those designated by the college as solely online for billing purposes. Ineligible online programs currently include: Accounting BS Completion Program, (755D), Fitness & Wellness Leadership M.S. (8073), Healthcare Informatics Certificate (0058), Nursing RN to BS (0203), and Special Education Grades 7–12 Advanced Certificate (063D).
• Eligible for federal Title IV financial aid in 2019-20 or 2020-21 and a FAFSA on file in 2019–20 or 2020–21. See below definition of eligible for federal Title IV financial aid. SFS encourages otherwise eligible students with no FAFSA on file to complete one.
• Certify that they have already incurred or will incur allowable expenses of food, housing, course materials, technology, course materials, health care, childcare, and/or transportation as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus which equal or exceed the amount of their CARES base grant.
• There is an additional eligibility criteria for an enhanced grant. Students certify that they have already incurred or will incur allowable expensesin excess of the amount of their base grant. Students must list each allowable expense already incurred or that will incur. For each allowable expense, the student writes a brief description, describes how it is related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, and also specifies the amount of each allowable expense. Students are informed that the college reserves the right to request additional documentation and receipts.
• These criteria may be modified based upon any additional guidance from ED or SUNY.

According to federal regulations (Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)) a student is eligible for federal Title IV financial aid if all of the following criteria are met:

• Be enrolled in a degree, certificate or other recognized educational credential (including a program of study abroad approved for credit by the eligible institution at which such student is enrolled) — that is, a regular student under 34 CFR 600.2);
• Not be enrolled in elementary or secondary school and have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
• Be maintaining satisfactory academic progress (SAP);
• Not owe an overpayment (refund) on Title IV grants;
• Not be in default on a Title IV loan;
• File with ED “as part of the original financial aid application process” a certification (Statement of Educational Purpose) that includes: a) A statement of educational purpose, and b) The student’s Social Security Number (SSN);
• Be a U.S citizen or national, a permanent resident, or an eligible noncitizen;
• Have returned any fraudulently obtained Title IV funds, if the student is convicted of or plead guilty or no contest to charges;
• Not have fraudulently received Title IV loans in excess of annual or aggregate limits;
• Have repaid any Title IV loan overpayment amounts in excess of annual or aggregate limits, if obtained inadvertently;
• Have his Selective Service registration verified (the Title IV aid ineligibility for failure to register is actually in the Selective Service Act §3811(f));
• Have a valid SSN, except for residents of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau; and

Not have a federal or state conviction for drug possession or sale, with certain time limitations.

A high-need student is defined as an otherwise eligible undergraduate or graduate student with an EFC below the Pell threshold of 5,576 in either 2019-20 or 5,712 in 2020–21.

Allowable expenses are defined as expenses that resulted from the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, and include food, housing, course materials, technology and computer, health care, dependent care, transportation, and other non-tuition expenses under the cost of attendance.

• SUNY Plattsburgh signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement. SUNY Plattsburgh has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide emergency financial aid grants to students.
• SUNY Plattsburgh will receive or has received $2,629,085 from the department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
• As of 6/19/2020, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed $1,501,936 of emergency financial aid grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. As of 7/7/2020, SUNY Plattsburgh has distributed $1,893,666 of emergency financial aid grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
• SUNY Plattsburgh estimated that 3,536 students are eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. SUNY Plattsburgh estimated that of the 3,536 eligible students, 85% of them or 3,006 or would respond to the certification and receive an emergency grant (see Policy).
• As of 6/19/2020, a total of 1,688 students have received an emergency financial aid grant under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. As of 7/7/2020, a total of 2,227 students have received an emergency financial aid grant under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
• SUNY Plattsburgh’s policy and methods for awarding emergency financial aid grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act are located above (see section Purpose, Policy, Definitions & Appendix).
• Below is a copy of SUNY Plattsburgh’s CARES grant notification that was emailed to all eligible students. The email included instructions, directions, and guidance for students concerning the emergency financial aid grants.
• The Financial Services Forms web page contains paper forms for certification of the base grant and enhanced grant. Online forms are available on the college secure website (MyPlattsburgh) and include similar instructions, collect the same information, and include the same certification.

CARES Base Grant Award Notification

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SUNY Plattsburgh transitioned all spring 2020 classes to distance learning and required most students to vacate the residence halls after spring break.

SUNY Plattsburgh has awarded you a CARES Base Emergency Grant of $XXX.XXX for allowable expenses that you have already incurred or will incur as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. The amount of your base grant was based upon the college’s federal allocation, the total number of eligible students, and financial need per the FAFSA (see college policy).

Click this link to certify or decline your base grant. You can also follow the student instructions below in order to certify or decline your base grant.

If you certify the grant, the amount will be refunded to you irrespective of any outstanding account balance with the college. Refunds will be delivered via the normal college refund process for students, BankMobile. Base grants are refunded to students in sequential order based upon the receipt date of the certification, until the exhaustion of the college’s federal allocation. CARES grants are not considered financial aid, are not included in your financial aid package, and have no impact on your current financial aid package.

If you have or will incur allowable expenses in excess of the amount of your base grant, you have the option to complete a Request for an CARES Enhanced Emergency Grant.

Contact the financial aid office for more information.

Online Student Instructions

1. Login to MyPlattsburgh
2. Click the Student Services Tab
3. Click the link to “Certify Base CARES Emergency Grant” under Financial Aid Office
4. Follow the instructions and remember to submit your online certification

Paper Student Instructions

1. Visit the Financial Services Forms web page.
2. Print the paper certification form: “Certify Base CARES Emergency Grant”
3. Follow the instructions, sign, and return the paper form to the Financial Aid Office